


Dancing Around the Subject

by Politzania



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Balcony Scene, Extended Scene, F/M, Iron Man 1, POV Pepper Potts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27383416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: Pepper knows better than to dance with her boss, but she does it anyways.Pepperony Bingo: Stolen Kisses &  Tony Stark Bingo: ResolvePrompt: “You don't know what you do to me, do you?”
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33
Collections: Pepperony Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	Dancing Around the Subject

**Author's Note:**

  * For [newnewyorker93 (remreader)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/remreader/gifts).



> Name of Piece: Dancing Around the Subject  
> Card Number: 4007  
> Name of Participant: PoliZ  
> TSB Square Number: T5 - Resolve  
> Pepperony Bingo Square: B5 - Stolen Kisses  
> Rating: Teen  
> Pairing: Pepperony ( Pepper Potts/Tony Stark)  
> Warning/Major Tags: Minor canon divergence, Pepper POV  
> Summary: Pepper knows better than to dance with her boss, but she does it anyways.  
> Word Count: 727  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27383416

Pepper knew she shouldn’t have worn this dress to the gala. No, that wasn’t true at all; the look on Tony’s face - a charming mix of awestruck and flabbergasted - was exactly the reason she’d chosen it, even though Obadiah had as much as told her that Tony wouldn’t be attending. 

Pepper also knew she shouldn’t have let Tony drag her out to the dance floor. She started babbling, making up excuses for why she was a bundle of nerves. The truth was, she was afraid that she was developing a crush on her boss. It was a stupid thing to do, of course, and even worse it was a threat to her career; but her traitorous heart had a will of its own. 

However, when Tony jokingly mentioned the possibility of firing her “to take the edge off’, she found herself going on the defensive, pointing out in a joking way just how much he relied on her. He tried to deny it, but the wry grin on his face told her he knew better. 

But Tony’s grin slowly disappeared as they bantered, replaced instead by a familiar expression, intense and focused. She’d seen it before, when he was working on a thorny design issue, or in the middle of a fractious client meeting. He was facing something that puzzled him, and he was determined to figure it out. She could barely hold his gaze, suddenly afraid those whiskey brown eyes would see right through her.

He was an excellent dancer - which shouldn’t have surprised Pepper, but somehow it did. She was managing to keep up without too much trouble, mentally breathing a word of thanks to her Aunt Agnes, who had insisted she take ballroom dancing classes to improve her poise and posture. 

And while Tony kept a socially acceptable distance between them, the heat of his hand resting on her hip, combined with the brush of his fingertips against her bare back sent illicit thrills up and down her spine. 

“How about a little air?” 

“Yes, I need some air,” Pepper replied gratefully. A cold shower would be even better, but she’d take what she could get. She followed Tony ( _no, ‘Mister Stark’_ , she reminded herself; he was her boss, dammit) out to a balcony. 

“That was totally weird,” she blurted out. 

“Totally harmless.” 

“That was totally not harmless,” she shot back. Tony was blowing it off, claiming their dance was no big deal; of course it wasn’t to him. So Pepper went on the defensive again, explaining that everyone knew how he was with women — which was fine — but it was her reputation at stake. He kept arguing, which was absolutely no surprise, but the look in his eyes once again took her aback. It was just as intense as before, but there was something more. A touch of curiosity, and maybe, just maybe, a bit of longing as well. 

He leaned forward, ever so slightly and she did the same. “You don’t know what you do to me, do you?” He spoke so softly that she wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined it. His eyes flicked down to her mouth and back up before he gently, carefully pulled her into his arms. 

But before their lips could do much more than touch, there was a scuff of shoes against concrete behind them. “So, have you made a date?” 

It was Agent Coulson, his voice and expression deceptively bland as if there were nothing untoward about the head of a Fortune 500 company practically making out with his personal assistant in such a public place. 

“Excuse me?” Pepper snapped out as she backed away from Tony; frustration and embarrassment throwing her off balance. 

“I apologize for interrupting, but Mister Stark said he was going to talk to you about setting up a time for the two of us to debrief. My organization would like to know more about his captors and exactly how he managed to get free of them.” 

Tony donned his press-ready grin and smoothed his hands down the front of his tuxedo. “Ah yes. The 24th at seven pm, wasn’t it? Am I free then, Miss Potts?” 

Pepper pulled herself together. The moment had clearly passed; whether for now or for always remained to be seen. In the meanwhile, she resolved to do her job. “I believe you are, Mister Stark.”


End file.
